2025 tested cities in ways both familiar and new. Urban areas faced intensifying heat, more frequent and severe climate-driven disasters, widening inequality, and political shifts shaping local and national agendas. Yet cities also emerged as centers of leadership and innovation, advancing practical solutions for people, nature and climate at a moment when progress was urgently needed.
From Addis Ababa to Bengaluru, our network of guest contributors and WRI experts explored inspiring solutions to the most pressing urban challenges. Below, explore the top 10 most-read blogs on TheCityFix from 2025:
- Lessons from Addis Ababa’s Corridor Development Initiative, by Semere Jelalu, Iman Abubaker, Celal Tolga Imamoglu, Jiregna Hirpa and Taylor Symes
- To Fight Urban Sprawl, Cities Must Increase Access to Public Green Spaces, by Mauricio Brito, Alí Gallegos, Pablo Lazo, Gorka Zubicaray and Madeline Palmieri
- Getting Bengaluru to Work: Transit-Oriented Development for Job Accessibility, by Radha Chanchani and Shalini Singh
- Going Underground: Climate Resilience Beneath Our Feet, by Mahak Agrawal
- 4 Cities Looking Beyond Rider Fares To Fund Better, More Resilient Public Transit, by Anna Kustar, Adam Davidson, Thet Hein Tun, Ben Welle and Meghna Ray
- How Subnational Governments Are Shaping Colombia’s Next-Generation Climate Commitments, by Héctor Miguel Donado, Olga Nieto, Juliana Durán Prieto, Carolina Useche and Pandora Batra
- Transforming Transportation 2025: What Did We Learn?, by Schuyler Null and Taylor Symes
- How Addis Ababa Can Restore Its Water Supply, by Aklilu Fikresilassie, Eden Takele, Tinebeb Yohannes and Zablon Adane
- How Including Subnational Governments in NDC Development Strengthens National Climate Action, by Nadia Shah Naidoo, Max Jamieson, Michael Doust, Carolina Useche, Ivy Murgor and Marc Manyifika
- The Small Acts Building Urban Climate Resilience, by Mahak Agrawal
Together, these stories and commentaries highlight the growing role of cities and subnational governments in driving sustainable development, the importance of integrated land-use and transport planning, and the need to invest in resilient, people-centered infrastructure. From rethinking how public transit is funded to restoring water systems and expanding urban green spaces, they show how practical, locally led solutions are helping cities build resilience, improve equity and deliver climate progress.
We are grateful to the more than 150 authors who contributed to TheCityFix in 2025, and to the thousands of readers and city leaders who put these ideas into practice. Here’s to building even more momentum for people, nature and climate in 2026.
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Taylor Symes is Communications Specialist at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
Schuyler Null is Senior Communications Manager at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
